NBA Play-In Tournament: Our Best Bets and Player Prop Picks for Wednesday

With the Western Conference Play-In Tournament taking center stage on Tuesday night, the Eastern Conference gets it's chance on Wednesday. In game one, the Miami Heat are at the Philadelphia 76ers (7:00 PM), followed by the Atlanta Hawks at the Chicago Bulls (9:30 PM). Both games will broadcast on ESPN.

The home team is favored in both of these matchups. Philly is a 4.5-point favorite over Miami, while Chicago is a 3.5-point favorite over Atlanta.

All four teams are relatively healthy, but it is important to note that Trae Young is expected to get a full workload for the Hawks.

Best Bet: Philadelphia 76ers (-4.5)

Our best bet from the Eastern Conference play-in tournament is the Philadelphia 76ers who are laying 4.5-points at home against Miami.

The 76ers are storming into the Playoffs, having won 8 of their last 10 games, while covering the spread in every one of those games.

Miami has won 7 of its last 10 games, but only 2 of those wins came against Playoff teams (Atlanta and New York).

Look for Tyrese Maxey to have a massive game and lead the way for the 76ers. The fourth year guard averaged 33 PPG against the Heat this season.

Player Prop Picks for Wednesday's Play-In Games

Expect two stars to dominate from the mid-range rather than beyond the arc, while Coby White should lead the Bulls in scoring during Wednesday night’s Play-In games.

F DeMar DeRozan (CHI): Under 0.5 3PM

DeRozan and the Bulls take on Atlanta in a win-or-go-home game. Although the Bulls' top scorer hit two three-pointers in his three matchups against the Hawks this season, he has failed to make a three-point shot in a playoff game since 2018 (19 games).

While this is a bet that could destroy you with an end-of-shot-clock heave, we are banking on the history books to hold true and for DeRozan to conduct his work from the mid-range and paint exclusively.

C Joel Embiid (PHI): Under 30.5 Points

Joel scored 29 points on the Heat in 33 minutes of play earlier this season. Playing in just five games since his injury sidelined him for nearly three months, expect Miami to wreak havoc on defense forcing the big man into turnovers and making him play off one foot.

Last postseason, Embiid hit this over in just 2 of 9 games so against a Miami Heat team in the playoffs that turn into the ‘90s Bulls with a switch of a light, expect Coach Spo to gameplan to limit Joel as a scorer.

F Jimmy Butler (MIA): Under 1.5 3 Pointers Made

While Jimmy Butler seems to turn it on in the months of April and May, it will be from the mid-range and on the defensive end. Jimmy has not averaged over 1.5 3-pointers made per game in the postseason with Miami although playing in 37+ MPG each postseason.

While he’s shot the ball well from downtown this month, Jimmy has not made two 3-pointers against Philly since 2021 (7 games).

G Coby White (CHI): Over 19.5 PTS

White has gone for 19/20/22 points in three matchups against Atlanta this season, so this line is just about right. In two career play-in games, White has gone 71% from beyond the arc while playing just 28 minutes per contest.

Playing over 36 minutes per game this postseason, White is too good of a shooter and scorer to score less than 20 points against a Hawks defense that has allowed 118/136/101 points to the Bulls this season. Off two nights of rest, Coby averages 24.4 PPG this season (11 games).